


Wanted

by barbaXcarisi (barbaXbenson)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Actor AU, Developing Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Wild West AU, but here we are, kind of, this is completely ridiculous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 09:51:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13761588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barbaXbenson/pseuds/barbaXcarisi
Summary: The sun was brutal, beating down on him and causing sweat to pool at his back and run down his temple. Occasionally, when he moved a certain way, it hit the gold sheriff’s badge pinned to his vest at just the right angle and nearly blinded him. But he had to ignore it. He had a job to do.He finally had Rafael Barba in his sights and he wasn’t letting him get away. Not this time.





	Wanted

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AHumanFemale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AHumanFemale/gifts).



> Based on the prompt from AHumanFemale - "Old west AU with Sheriff Sonny, who gets an unfortunate crush on a wanted man," that I took and completely twisted because why not? 
> 
> I hope you still enjoy it, my dear!

The sun was brutal, beating down on him and causing sweat to pool at his back and run down his temple. Occasionally, when he moved a certain way, it hit the gold sheriff’s badge pinned to his vest at just the right angle and nearly blinded him. But he had to ignore it. He had a job to do.

He finally had Rafael Barba in his sights and he wasn’t letting him get away. Not this time.

“Why don’t you just come with me, nice and peaceful, and nobody has to get hurt,” Sonny called from his place in the middle of Main St., squinting at Barba as the breeze kicked up a swirl of dust.

“Only one’s gettin’ hurt is you,” Barba called back, taking a step closer, hand resting on silver the revolver at his hip, a bright contrast to the black of his pants and vest.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sonny saw the townspeople starting to gather, hoping to see some action, and he took a step forward, his hand hovering near his own gun. “It doesn’t have to be like this, Barba.” They were close enough to each other now that he barely had to raise his voice.

“I think it does.” Rafael pulled his gun from its holster, but Sonny was faster, firing off a quick succession of shots and Barba dropped to the ground, a cloud of dirt billowing up in his wake.

The crowd gasped and moved to run forward, but Sonny held up his hands. “Please, stay back, folks.” He leaned over Barba’s body, feeling for a pulse before standing and shaking his head. “We’re gonna need the undertaker.”

He watched, grim expression on his face, as a group of men hauled Barba into the back of the wagon, waiting until they disappeared behind the long expanse of wooden buildings before swinging up onto his horse and riding the short distance up the main drag of town to the jail.

After tying his horse to a post, he walked inside, through the two small rooms and past the single jail cell, pushing on a panel in the wall and slipping through. After a long hallway and two more doorways, he was hit with a blast of air conditioning and he sighed with relief, pulling the brown cowboy hat off of his head.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop using my fucking name?” Rafael growled from the table in the center of the room, his hand already wrapped around a tumbler of scotch, his black jacket tossed over the back of his chair and his black hat on the table in front of him. Sonny tried not to look too long at the way the black vest over a black shirt suited him.  

“Well, I keep trying to give your character a name, but you don’t like any of them.” He opened the refrigerator door, pulling out a bottle of water before letting it fall closed.

“Town Villain suits me just fine.”

Sonny couldn’t help but think how close to the truth that really was. “You realize it’s only noon, right?” He gestured toward the glass.

Barba took a defiant sip of scotch. “Considering I die like clockwork at noon every day, yes, I’m aware.”

“Well, I need to kill you again at two and four, so it’d be great if you weren’t soused.”

The glass went to his lips again, this time it was a gulp. “You can always fire me, but I don’t think you will.”

Sonny hated that he was right.

Rafael Barba had once been one of Hollywood’s most bankable actors, starring in hit after hit, and even garnering an Oscar nomination and a couple Golden Globe wins, but behind the scenes his hissy fits and massive ego only continued to worsen with each accolade and box office record. Studios and directors put up with it because his name (and, honestly, his brooding good looks and piercing green eyes) meant instant box office success.

Until it didn’t.

After a series of flops, he only grew more insufferable and less valuable to those forced to work with him, until no one would hire him at all. He disappeared completely off the radar, not even present on a “Where are they now?” listicle via Buzzfeed to keep his fans satiated. Mostly because no one had known where he’d gone.

He hadn’t made a movie in five years when he’d walked into a casting call for the new Town Villain. Sonny had been shocked and thrilled to see him. Rafael Barba had been one of his heroes as a teenager, watching him kick ass on screen and look good doing it. But what was that old saying about never meeting your heroes?

It proved true. Barba was brash and moody and rarely without a scotch in his hand, but despite his downfall, Barba still had name recognition and Sonny had hired him on the spot. His name splashed across the header on their website, as well as on their billboards and flyers, drew people in, giving them more income in the last three months than they’d seen in the year prior.

“And I still think we need to get the squibs with blood.” Barba groused, grabbing the bottle from the middle of the table and pouring more scotch into his glass. “You shoot me in the heart and I don’t bleed? It’s ridiculous.”

Sonny shook his head and dropped into the chair across from him. “We have kids here.”

“Disney bullshit,” Barba mumbled, taking another gulp, a curl of dark hair drooped over his forehead. “Perfectly okay for them to see a man get gunned down in the street as long as he doesn’t bleed.”

Sonny agreed that it wasn’t realistic, but families driving through Southern California needing a reprieve from their kids bickering in the backseat were what would keep them open long after the great Rafael Barba decided he no longer wanted to be shot four times a day.

“What do you care, anyway?” Sonny asked.

The man had made it clear from the get go that he was here for the paycheck only, but the longer he was here, the more suggestions—’notes’ Rafael had called them—he had. Sometimes they were complaints about the scene, other times they were changes he wanted to make in the script, but more often than not they were criticisms directed toward Sonny’s acting ability, or lack thereof.

But Sonny wasn’t bothered by it, at least not usually. He wasn’t an actor. He was just a man whose father had a midlife crisis, moved their family from Staten Island to California and then bought a failing tourist trap.

At fifteen, Sonny had hated his father for uprooting his life and moving him to this place. They lived on the grounds and the kids at school were brutal, calling him Billy the Kid and asking how things were at the OK Corral. Not original material by any stretch, but to a tall, gangly kid who already felt so out of place in his new home, it was devastating.

He’d loathed all there was about Pioneer Springs. He hated the constant heat and having to spend his Saturdays painting the front of the general store just so his dad could go behind him and distress the fresh coat. Most of all, he hated that it wasn’t New York.

He’d had every plan of leaving for college and never looking back, but ever the dutiful son, he returned four years later, business degree in hand, to help his father with the struggling business. It stayed that way for years, Sonny helping to keep the place afloat, acting as his father’s right hand man. But then, the previous year, his dad suddenly passed away of a heart attack, and Sonny became the owner. An honor he had never desired.

Heartbroken at the loss of his father, his mother had moved back to New York, where his sisters Gina and Theresa had already returned as soon as they were old enough. Only Bella remained. She’d been young enough when they’d moved there to be in awe of the old Western town, and she fell in love with it in a way that had never died. Sonny was grateful. Having Bella around was the only thing that kept him from being alone in the world.

“You know, your accent slipped out again,” Barba was saying now, ignoring Sonny’s question. Sonny noticed that his glass was once again empty. “Know many wild west sheriffs who sound like they’re from Staten Island?”

Even though he’d now lived more of his life off of the island he still considered home than not, Sonny’s accent had never faded. He wore it like a badge of honor, proud to hold onto that bit of his upbringing. He did try to curb it when he was acting as Sheriff, but again, he was not a professional.

Bella often implored him to hire someone to play the part, but Sonny balked at that. Why pay for another actor when he could do it for free?

“No, but considering they were alive in the 1800’s I don’t know _any_ wild west sheriffs.” Sonny cracked and he swore he could see the hint of a smile at the corner of Barba’s mouth before it fixed into a grimace again.

“I swear, if one more pasty white dad makes a grab for my ass I’m going to scream.” Bella burst through the door into the breakroom, wearing her burgundy saloon girl dress.

“Seriously,” Amanda agreed, following behind her in a matching dress, but hers was in a hunter green.

Sonny snorted and they both shot him a glare.

“What’s so funny?” Bella asked, grabbing two waters from the refrigerator and handing one to Amanda.

“It’s just ironic, the two of you calling anyone pasty white.”

“Well, for them it’s more of a personality trait than a skin tone,” Amanda explained and oddly it made perfect sense to Sonny.

He turned back toward Rafael, knowing that whatever small moment they’d shared between them was over, but still hoping to engage him. He didn’t get the chance. Barba was no longer at the table. Sonny only caught sight of black cowboy boots and silver spurs as Barba disappeared up the stairs that led to the living quarters.  

Even though Pioneer Springs gave off the illusion that they were in the middle of nowhere, they were actually quite close to town, so only Sonny and Bella actually lived on the property. At least it had only been them, but Rafael had asked for lodging as a part of his contract. Sonny hadn’t seen any reason not to, given that he had the room and he’d desperately wanted Barba to take the job.

“Sorry, did we scare your crush away?” Bella asked, her tone light.

Amanda laughed and immediately started coughing as she choked on her sip of water. Served her right, Sonny thought as he swung his gaze from the staircase to his sister. “He is not my crush.”

“Yeah, okay. You had so many posters of him hanging up that it was practically wallpaper. And it still came as a surprise to mom and dad when you came out,” she said with a sad shake of her head.

“I was—am—a fan of his work. That’s all.” Sonny tried to sound casual. If he got defensive it would only give Bella more ammunition.

Amanda scoffed. “And the killer eyes have nothing to do with it.”

“Or that butt,” Bella threw in. “Have you seen that butt?”

Sonny sighed and stood, knowing there was no winning when the two of them teamed up. “I have work to do.” He heard the two of them burst into laughter the second the door closed behind him.

* * *

The lock on the gate snapped closed with a click and Sonny sighed with relief. The last of the guests were finally gone for the day and now he could dive into the paperwork that would keep him up half the night. He was pulling on the gate, making sure it was secure, when he heard a cough to his right.

He squinted in the dark, the lights from the main part of the town didn’t carry this far, at least not very much, but he could make out a figure sitting on top of the fence. Sonny thought maybe all the guests weren’t gone after all—it wouldn’t be the first time someone had wanted to see the town at night—but as he got closer he could make out features and he realized it was Barba.

Sonny was used to seeing him in his all black western attire, so it came as a bit of shock to his system to see that he was wearing jeans and a dark gray t-shirt. The thin cotton clung to him, following the soft curve of his stomach and clinging to biceps that were surprisingly toned. Not that Sonny noticed.

“I wasn’t sure you’d be back tonight,” Sonny said softly, trying not to startle the man into falling off the fence. He didn’t think it would be could for business if he was responsible for breaking the neck of one of Hollywood’s once biggest stars.

Rafael had asked for the day off, the first since he’d been here, and Sonny happily granted his request, but Sonny hadn’t been privy to where he’d gone or when he’d be coming back.

“Yeah, well,” Barba shrugged, his hands resting on the wooden fence to keep his balance.

“Okay…” Sonny trailed off awkwardly. “I guess I’ll see you later then.”

“I had an audition,” Barba said to Sonny’s back and he turned around slowly.

“Really?” He realized how surprised he sounded and tried to fix it. “I just mean, I didn’t realize you did that anymore.”

“It was the first one in a while.”

Probably half a decade, Sonny thought, but didn’t voice it. It was the most civilized Barba had ever been with him and he didn’t want to ruin it. “How’d it go?”

Barba shrugged again. “We’ll see I guess.”

“So,” Sonny took a step forward, resting his hands on the fence next to Barba’s hip, just far enough away for it to be casual. “That’s what you want? To go back to acting?”

“I’m not entirely sure.”

Sonny was surprised by the honesty and found himself looking up into intense eyes, dark now in the nighttime, but he knew how beautiful they were in the light. “How did you end up here?” He asked, feeling like this was the only opportunity he’d ever get to ask the question, one that had plagued him for months.

Why in the hell was a Golden Globe winning, Oscar nominated actor pretending to get shot over and over again in some hot, dusty tourist trap?

Barba sighed, but that was all, and Sonny found himself thinking that he wasn’t going to get an answer.

“You don’t have to tell me,” he said as if Rafael felt any obligation to spill his guts to him.

The man slid gracefully down from the top of the fence, standing close to Sonny, his back leaning against the wood. Under Barba’s gaze, Sonny suddenly felt silly that he was still in his sheriff’s uniform and pulled the cowboy hat from his head. It was probably a mistake if the amused glance Barba gave his hair was any indication, but he left it off, resting it on the fence post to his right.

“I’m sure you’ve read all about what happened.”

“Yeah,” Sonny answered honestly. There was no point in lying. The stories had been everywhere. “But I’m sure most of it wasn’t true.”

“Oh no, it was,” Rafael chuckled and Sonny felt his eyes widen at the admission. “I was insufferable.”

“Was?” It was out of his mouth before Sonny could stop it and he was grateful for the darkness when he felt his cheeks burn. “What I mean is—”

Rafael huffed a laugh and waved it off. “It’s fine. You’re right. I’ve been a dick to you. And I shouldn’t have been since you saved my life.”

“Wait, what?”

“You know I used to come to this place when I was a kid?” Rafael asked rhetorically. Of course Sonny couldn’t have known that. “Every summer my family would spend a day here when we’d come out to visit my grandparents. I loved it. Back then there was more crowd participation—you should look into that by the way—and one year I got chosen to be in one of the scenes.

“They dressed me up, gave me lines, and I ate it up. It’s when I discovered acting and I never looked back.” He took a deep breath and looked out into the darkness. “It was all so much. One day I’m eating ramen noodles on the floor of my apartment because I couldn’t afford furniture and the next I’m starring in the summer’s biggest movie. Money was tossed at me by the handfuls, men and women were throwing themselves at me.

“If enough people tell you that you’re amazing and indispensable and they can’t make the movie without you, you’re going to start to believe it. And I did. And I became a dick. And then the movies flopped and I just couldn’t take the realization that I wasn’t as important as I thought I was and I...I quit.”

“You quit?” Sonny asked, surprised again. “I thought…”

“That I became a pariah?” Rafael looked at him, half a grin on his lips. “You have to be way worse than me to get kicked out of Hollywood. No, it was just that something that I once loved so much was the one thing destroying me. It was eating me alive from the inside out and I had to get away.”

“Why are you telling me all this? You haven’t exactly said much to me the whole time you’ve been here and now…”

“I figure I owe you. The least I could do is answer your question.”

Sonny had all but forgotten he’d asked Rafael how he’d ended up here. It seemed eons ago instead of mere minutes. “Because I saved your life?”

“Yes.”

“I still don’t see how.”

Rafael took a deep breath. “I was basically a hermit. I obviously wasn’t working. I barely spoke to anybody. I still checked all the casting calls, mostly as a form of self torture I suppose, and I happened to see your listing. And I had the thought that I’d fallen in love with acting here once before, maybe I could again.”

It was possibly the most romantic thing Sonny had ever heard in his life. “And did you?” His voice was barely a whisper.

“I went to the audition, didn’t I?” The smile was full and genuine now. It was the one Sonny had only seen on the movie screen and he felt his heart leap into his throat.

“Well, I hope you get the part.”

“You do?” Rafael’s surprise was evident and that didn’t come as a shock to Sonny. He’d tossed the word ‘mealticket’ in Sonny’s face more than once and he wasn’t wrong. They’d probably struggle if he left, but it wasn’t like he was going to hold him hostage here.

Sonny nodded. “You deserve to be happy.”

Rafael looked at him, eyes squinting like that would help him see Sonny more clearly. “You’re an even worse actor than I thought.” Before Sonny could insist that he was telling the truth, Barba continued. “All that goody goody sheriff stuff is who you really are. It’s not a character at all.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Sonny barely got the words out, Rafael was leaning in so close.

“Not at all. Just...refreshing.” Rafael tilted his head to the side, looking up at him like he was seeing him for the first time.

Almost as if it had a mind of its own, Sonny’s tongue darted out to lick his lips and Rafael’s eyes tracked the movement, causing his pulse to race.

“Well,” Sonny took a step back, running his hand through his hair. “I better get back. I have a lot of paperwork to do.”

“Okay. Yeah,” Rafael said, the disappointment in his expression evident even in only the moonlight.

“You comin’?” Sonny asked, taking a step toward the town.

“I think I’ll stay out here awhile.”

“Okay. Good night, Rafael.”

“Good night, Sonny.”

* * *

After that things shifted, just the tiniest bit. Over the next few days, during breaks between performances Rafael was a little more talkative, more gentle with his suggestions for the business, and Sonny even managed to get one story out of him about what it was like on the set of his favorite movie.

It wasn’t like a switch was flipped or anything. He was still cocky, still blunt to a fault, and stubborn as hell, but he no longer seemed angry and Sonny thought that made all the difference.

A week after Rafael’s audition Sonny was in his office going over payroll when there was a knock at his door. He was surprised to see Rafael in the doorway, once again in jeans and a t-shirt, and Sonny was thankful that this time he wasn’t in his costume.

“You got a minute?”

“Sure.” Sonny closed his laptop and gestured for the chair opposite him. “What’s up?”

Rafael sat and took a deep breath. If Sonny had any belief whatsoever that Rafael Barba was capable, he would have thought he seemed nervous. “I got it. The part.”

“Really? That’s great!” His enthusiasm was genuine, even if panic gripped him at the thought of not seeing him every day. Hell, besides at the movies he may never see him again at all.

“Yeah, it’s not a big blockbuster or anything, but I think it will be a good first step back.”

“That’s so awesome.” Sonny paused a moment. “When do you start?”

“See? That’s the thing. I was a late add, the guy they had before fell through. Rehearsals start this week. I’m sorry for the late notice. I don’t want to leave you in a bind, but…”

“It’s fine,” Sonny waved it off. “Nick can do it.”

“Okay.”

It seemed like the end of the conversation, but Rafael remained seated, looking around the office. It was just as cluttered and messy as it had been when Sonny’s father was running the place. Not because Sonny shared his father’s penchant for disorder, but because he simply hadn’t had the time to do anything with it.

“Why are you here?” Rafael asked finally, echoing Sonny’s words from the other night.

“I kind of own the place.”

“So? That doesn’t answer my question.”

Sonny sighed, his shoulders rising and falling with the effort. “My father loved this place. It was everything to him.”

“But it’s not everything to you.” Sonny just looked at him, blinking. “Don’t look surprised. Part of acting is studying people. You go through the motions, do what you’re supposed to do, what’s expected of you, but you don’t enjoy it.”

“No. I don’t.” Sonny confessed and it was the first time he’d ever said it aloud.

“Then you’re an idiot.”

“What?”

“I was an idiot too, so you’re in good company, but take it from me, don’t waste time. Find something that makes you happy.” Rafael stood. “Thank you for helping me find my way back. I’ll never forget it.”

The second Rafael left his office Sonny’s heart hammered in his chest, a physical manifestation of his fear that he’d never see the man again. Without even realizing it, he was up out of his chair and practically sprinting down the hallway.

Rafael was standing at the end, just inside the door that led outside, tapping on his phone when Sonny skidded to a stop in front of him. “What? Do you want an autograph?” Rafael smirked and Sonny grabbed his shoulders, pulling him in close and pressing his mouth to the curve of Rafael’s lips.

Rafael’s eyes widened in surprise, but then his eyelids fluttered closed and his palms found their way to Sonny’s back, pressing him even closer. He tilted his head, opening himself up even further to Sonny’s soft lips and warm tongue.

“I think, maybe,” Sonny said between heavy breaths when they pulled apart. “That you’re the thing that will make me happy.”

Rafael grinned up at him and Sonny decided then and there that no HD camera could ever do it justice. “I think maybe you’re the thing that will make me happy too.”

Sonny smiled, big and bright.

And a year later, as he slid out of the car and pressed shiny black shoes to the soft red carpet, fingers linked through Rafael’s as flashbulbs popped all around them, he was still smiling.


End file.
